SAN ANGELO COLTS: Back in the game

Rinaudo is going strong again after his brief retirement

Patrick Dove/Standard-Times San Angelo Colts first baseman Steve Rinaudo catches a throw for an out during a game last week against the McAllen Thunder at Foster Field in San Angelo.

SAN ANGELO, Texas - Steve Rinaudo's professional baseball career nearly began and ended with the San Angelo Colts in the span of three games.

After playing at UNLV and graduating from Culver-Stockton College in 2009, Rinaudo made his pro debut late in the 2010 season when Colts manager Doc Edwards signed him on the advice of then-Colt slugger Jason Landreth.

Rinaudo didn't see much action, but he did get the first 10 plate appearances of his career. He had two hits and drew two walks.

"The first hit he had was right off the top of the scoreboard out there. It was a triple," Edwards said from his office at Foster Field. "I kept him in my mind ever since then."

But Rinaudo decided not to pursue baseball the next season and hung up his cleats.

The retirement didn't last long, however. Itching to play again, Rinaudo signed with the Las Cruces Vaqueros last year in New Mexico.

By the end of the season, he was the Pecos League MVP.

"I had a pretty good year there," Rinaudo said in a bit of an understatement.

He hit .381 with 18 home runs and 23 stolen bases, and he set league records for RBIs (87), runs (99), doubles (25) and triples (9).

"Steve is the best player in this league. There should not even be a vote." said Las Cruces manager Casey Dill after the season.

The stellar season earned Rinaudo a call back up to the United League this year. Heading into Tuesday night, the infielder was third on the Colts with a .302 batting average with nine doubles, three home runs and a team-high three triples.

"I saw him hit the ball, and you see the way he can run. He runs like a greyhound," Edwards said. "I realized that he's got the talent to really help a ballclub win."

Rinaudo called playing with the Colts "the best situation I could possibly be in."

Now 25 years old and soon to turn 26 on July 8, Rinaudo said he's unsure how long he'll continue to keep playing.

"It all depends. I'm starting to get a little older in baseball years," he said. "Depending on how this season ends, if I get a chance to play affiliated ball, I'll keep going. But it all depends on the year. When we come win this championship, that will probably be when I decide to keep playing or not."

Rinaudo grew up in California and played at Casa Roble High School in Orangeville. He hit .526 his senior year with 45 RBIs and led the state with an 0.45 ERA from the pitcher's mound.

"I've always been a two-way guy. I've always played a position and pitched, and I carried that over to junior college," Rinaudo said.

He played two seasons at American River Community College in Sacramento before transferring to UNLV as a junior and Stockton-Culver in Canton, Mo., as a senior.

Rinaudo was drafted his freshman year in the 29th round of the 2006 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals.

He decided to pass up the opportunity and continue his collegiate career.

"I didn't take it because I was one year away from my degree, so I figured one more year wouldn't kill me. But I didn't end up getting drafted again," Rinaudo said. "But I got a great scholarship to UNLV, so it was a win-win situation."

After college, Rinaudo had to give up pitching in his pro career, though he did get to toss 8.1 innings last year in Las Cruces.

He said he's "always ready to go on the mound."

"I love pitching," Rinaudo said. "But my heart's in the field. Going up to the plate, getting some hits, playing some defense, that's where my heart is at."

Rinaudo, who majored in sociology, said he's taking classes in the offseason to get his teaching credentials. He hopes to someday be a coach.